4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[spencerwood]

Hi,

 

They are only 4 weeks old, two welsummers. Its starting to get dark now, they are going into the Eglu but they keep settling into the egg laying area where there is some straw. I feel they should be sleeping on the wooden bars so should I stick a football in the egg area to get them onto the bars from day 1 or should i just let them get on with it.

 

 

Thanks

 

 

Spencer

[dancing cloud]

Congrats on your new arrivals

 

If you really want them to sleep on the bars, then something in the nestbox (can be a simple as a brick) will encourage this. Me? I'm a real softie, so mine get to sleep where they like

[feemcg]

4 weeks old??......is the eglu exposed at all, have they already been weaned off heat?, they shouldn't be on bars at all until 6-8 weeks.

[feemcg]

Sorry to come back to this but I'm quite concerned at the thought of 4 week old chicks being outside in an eglu......it might be their first night out, and they may previously have had a load of chicks to snuggle into.....but only 2 aren't going to generate much heat, If they must be out can you take the bars out and have a thick layer of straw covering the tray opening at the back.

[spencerwood]

They were already off heat when we got them this morning. My wife has just been out there to check on them and they are fast asleep and snuggled up to eat other on the bars. We had put a flower pot in the egg area but after the comments we have now removed so if they want to go on the straw then they can.

 

 

Thanks

 

Spencer

[spencerwood]

Just seen your latest message. They were in a pen with 2 others outside in quite an exposed barn. Having seen your latest comments though we have just gone out and put a load more straw in there so hopefully they will be ok.

 

 

Spencer

[feemcg]

Well good luck......I wean my chicks off heat by 3 weeks, which is early by most peoples' standards ( most chicks are under a lamp till 6 weeks, or sleep underneath their mother). My chicks then go out to an eglu and growers' run which is inside the garage. They have a thick layer of straw and snuggle into each other. I usually have about 6-16 chicks in the eglu so there's plenty of heat generated. I have never heard of anyone putting 2 chicks out on their own at 4 weeks so will be interested to hear how it goes.

 

(sorry, reading back I sound like a panic merchant but would hate anything to happen to you're first chicks )

[Patricia W]

I think you can get a something called a snugglesage which you heat in a microwave and keeps its heat a long time. Think I saw you could get them from Pets at Home? Might help keep them warm overnight and when the days are cold.

[Patricia W]

Sorry - typo - I think it is a SNUGGLESAFE - sold for rabbits, I think.

[Egluntyne]

I'm with fee at being a little concerned that chicks so young should be outside and off heat already.

[Janty]

Sorry (don't want to worry or upset you) but my chicks didn't come off heat until 7 or 8 weeks old. When they did go out into the eglu it was inside a heated polytunnel. They didn't go outside in the eglu until 10 weeks old.

 

Maybe you could bring them inside for at least the night times. You could snuggle them up in some straw in a box or something.

[spencerwood]

Hi,

 

They are fine this morning when we opened the door. I think they must be older than 4 weeks, they look about medium sized, they are not fluffy chicks for sure. They are making chick noises but have proper feathers etc... Perhaps I'll try and post a photo so you can see how old you think they are.

 

We are thinking about putting a warm hot water bottle in there with them if its chilly tonight.

 

 

Thanks for all of your concerns

 

 

Spencer